Cabinet.



P. EL LEWIS.

CABINET. APPLIOATIUN FILED 11110.13, 1910.

Patented Apr. 4, 1911.

3 BHEETB-BHBET 1.

rvnl vonnis Px'rlk: co., wAsuluaron D. c

611km, I

F. E. LEWIS.

- CABINET.

.APPLICATION FILED Dna. 1a. 1910. Patented Apr'. 4, 1911.

um :Q

@ @mfg/m fnl wenn: Pri-nu co.. wumnuron. D. c,

F. E. LEWIS.

CABINET.

Arrmorrlon Hun 1130.13. 191

9885793. Patented Apr.'4, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 8.

ame/wko@ rll Noll!! rrrln t0.. vululnqwu. n. c.

FRANK E. LEWIS, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

CABINET.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1911.

Application led December 13, 1910. Serial No. 597,137.

fo all whom it may concern:

` Be it known that I, FRANK E. Lewis, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cabinets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cabinets and particularly to one intended to be utilized as a general medicine receptacle, prescription case or receptacle for containing valuables such as jewelry or the like, the object of the invention being to provide in the cabinet one or more compartments each having a normally locked door and means operable to releasethe locking mechanism of the door to gain access to the desired compartment.

Another object of the invention is to provide mechanism whereby when one door is in an open position the other doors cannot "be opened.

In the drawings, forming a portion of this speeication and in which like numerals of reference 'indicate similar parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a front view of the cabinet showing one of the doors in an open position. Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1 showing the locking dog in a released position. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the locking dog in a locked position. Fig. 6 is a transverse section showing the releasing mechanism engaging the latch to move the same to a partly withdrawn position. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the latch-releasing member.

The cabinet comprises a suitable receptacle 1 which is formed to provide a plurality of compartments 2 each of which being independently closed by a door 3 which is pivotally mounted at its lower end on a horizontal rod 4, the said rod having its ends mounted in any suitable well known manner in the ends of the receptacle. Out wardly of the doors 3, the receptacle 1 is provided with a closure 5 in which is mounted a transparent panel 6 for the purpose of enabling the user of the cabinet to readily view the respective doors 3. Each door 3 is provided in the present instance with a designating mark 8 which isa number, the cabinet herein being formed to provide six compartments and each being provided with a door, and as shown, they are numbered from one to six inclusive. Each door 3 is provided at its upper ond with a springcontrolled latch S which is provided with a button 9 to be manually manipulated. The latch is designed to engage a keeper 10 on the receptacle above the door opening, as shown.

Each door 3 is provided within the receptacle with a keeper 11 which is designed to be engaged by a gravity falling latch 12. The latch 12 is slidable in a casing 13 on the receptacle above the door opening, and as shown, the latch is provided with an inwardly inclined lip or flange 14. Releasing mechanism is provided for releasing Jthe latches 12, and as shown, said mechanism comprises a shaft 15 which is provided at suitable intervals with radial fingers 16 each being extended in an opposite direction and being movable in a path to engage the latches consecutively. The shaft l5 is revolubly mounted in the end walls of the casing, and as illustrated, the

Icasing is formed at one end with a compartment 17 into which one end of the shaft 15 extends, the said extended end of the shaft having secured thereto a bevel gear wheel 18 which intermeshes with the bevel gear wheel 19 on the controlling shaft 20. The controlling shaft 20 extends at right angles to the shaft 15 and it is journaled in anyV suitable well known manner in the front and rear walls of the casing. The front of the compartment 17 is formed to provide a suitable register 21 for a purpose to be here-l after' described. The outer end of the shaft 20 is located immediately above the register 21. and it is provided with a Vmanipulating knob 22 which is marked at intervals according to the number of compartments in the cabinet, the knob herein shown being numbered from one to six inclusive, to agree with the corresponding numbered compartments. The register is provided with a'mark 23, which coperates with the numbers 23 on the knob in a manner to be hereinafter fully described.

Each door 3 is provided at its lower end with a rearwardly directed wing or apron 24 which is located immediately in front of the longitudinally extending rock member 25. The rock member 25 has one of its ends extended into the compartment 17 and on such eXtended end is a fixed gear wheel 2G. The member 25 is located between the main and supplemental bottoms 27 and 28 respectively, of the cabinet, and as shown, the forward edge of the member is disposed directly' in the path of movement of the apron 24 on either of the doors 3 of the cabinet so as to be actuated thereby when either door is moving to an open position. The compartment 17 has mounted therewithin a sliding rack bar 29 which meshes with the gear wheel 26. Adjacent to one end the rack bar yieldingly supports a locking dog 30' having a toothed surface 3l to engage the bevel gear wheel 18l in movement of the rack bar in one direction.

The combination described and fully illus-- trated herein is adapted to a great extent for use by druggists, and in view of the fact that it is provided with a plurality of compartments toy contain either singly or in groups drug or chemicals dangerous to human life, the compounder would have to first ascertain by reference to the list of contents of the cabinet given in the register which compartment held the desired article. In order to obtain the article, the operator will be required to use considerable deliberation which insures in the best possible manner against error in compounding the prescription. lt may be stated that the custom among many compounders of prescriptions wherein dangerous chemicals are used is to take a bottle, weigh and measure the enact amount of the chemical and carelessly set the bottle to one side to be placed. at any time in its proper place on the shelf after the prescription is completed. It will obviously appear that if there are siX ingredients to the prescription there will be bottles to replace. This frequently results in dangerous errors in that the `bottles are positioned in their wrong places and ofthe cabinet wherein is presun'iingly located a particular chemical through error inr` properly arranging the chemicals, as above described, takes the wrong chemical which result is not only detrimental to the compounder but to the one who is to take the medicine. As set forth, the cabinet described herein insures against such above namedv accidents which are due to carelessness on part of the compounder of prescriptions in that it is necessary for him to replace thev bottle in its proper order in the cabinet before he canobtain another bottle. The cabinet is not only a safeguard against accidents by druggi'sts or others compounding prescriptions' but when used as a medicine cabinetin households it will be found most valuable in that the operator will be compelled to exercise the required thought before he can obtain the ingredients which he desires. As a family medicine cabinet it will also be found valuable in that children who are unable to read would also be unable to operate the cabinet with a view of obtaining the poisonous drugs on account of the fact that it requires skill beyond the mind of a child to operate the cabinet to gain access to any particular compartment. TWhile' it has been specifically shown that the cabinet is provided with six compartments to contain a corresponding number of drugs it is obvious that any number of such compartments may be employed as long as l resort to t-he described mechanism for controlling the closures of the compartments.

l claim:

l. A cabinet comprising a receptacle, a movable closure therefor, a keeper carried by the closure, a sliding latch member engaging the keeper to hold the closure in a closed position, latch-releasing mechanism, and means for locking the mechanism on movement. of the closure to an open position.

2. A cabinet comprising a receptacle, a movable closure therefor, latch mechanism operating to hold the closure in a closed po'- sition and including a gravity operated member, latch-releasing mechanism movable in. a path with the latch mechanism, and means for locking the mechanism in movement of the closure to an open position.

3. A cabinet comprising a receptacle, a movable closure therefor, locking mechanism` carried by the receptacle and engaging the closure to hold the same ina closed position,

a revolubly mounted shaft, means fon the 1 shaft for releasing the locking mechanism, and means operating on movement ofthe closure to an open position to lock the shaft v against rotation.

l. A cabinet comprising a receptacle having a movable closure, lock mechanism holding the closure in closed position, movable l g n lock-releasing mechanism, and means operthe drugglst being acquainted with that part able by and disposed in the path of movement :of the closure for holding the lockreleasing mechanism in locked position on movement of the closure to an open position.

5. A cabinet having a plurality of distinguished compartments, a closure for each compartment, mechanism for holding the closures closed, an indicator, means for releasing the said mechanism to singly release the closures and including means coperating with the said indicator, and means for locking said mechanism on one of the closures to an open position.

6. A cabinet having a plurality of compartments, a closure for each compartment, mechanism for holding the closures in closed positions, releasing and distinguishing-means distinguishing the compartments from each other and operating the said mechanism to release the closures singly, and means for locking the said releasing and distinguishing means on movement of one of the closures to an open position to prevent the closures of the remaining compartments from Open- 1n A cabinet, a movable closure therefor, latch mechanism engaging the closure to hold the same in a closed position, a shaft revolubly mounted in the cabinet, releasing means onthe shaft for moving the latch mechanism to a released position, an actuatingshaft geared to the first named shaft, and locking mechanism operating to hold the shafts against rotation on movement of the closure to an open position and operating to release the locking mechanism on movement of the closure to a closed position.

8. A cabinet, a closure therefor, latch mechanism engaging the closure to hold the same in a closed position, latch-releasing mechanism, an actuating member carried by the closure, a movable element disposed in the path of movement of the actuating member, and locking mechanism actuated by the said movable element and Operating to hold the latch-releasing mechanism in locked position when the closure is open.

9. A cabinet having a plurality of distinguished compartments, a closure for each compartment, lmechanism for holding the closures closed, an indicator, means for releasing the said mechanism to singly release the closures and includin means coperating With the indicator, an closure actuated means for locking said mechanism on movement of any one of the closures to an open position.

10. A cabinet having a plurality of compartments, a closure for each compartment, movable latch mechanism for each closure, releasing and distinguishing means distinguishing the compartments from each other and operating the individual latch mechanism of each closure so as to singly release thc closures, the said releasing and distinguishing means including a movable member, the latch mechanism for each closure being disposed directly in the path of the said movable member, and means for locking the said releasing and distinguishing means on movement of any one of the closures to an Open position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

FRANK E. LEWIS. lVitnesses:

ANNA A. THOMPSON, HARRY A. THOMPSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

